Veggie Roasting Made Easy

Bring out the natural sweetness and flavor of vegetables by roasting them in the oven...

If you’re not already on the roasting vegetable bandwagon, you’re missing out on one of the cheapest, healthiest and most flavorful delicacies around. And fall is overlowing with veggie candidates— artichokes, carrots, beets, broccoli, sprouts, cauliflower, eggplant, fennel, squash… the list is long.
Here’s how easy it is. All you need to achieve vegetable nirvana are a porcelain or steel roasting pan and some quality ingredients—a decent extra-virgin olive oil, some sea-salt that’s a step up from Morton’s iodized and freshly ground black pepper. And make sure your veggies are fresh and locally grown if possible.
Then turn the oven on to 425 degrees. The Cooking Channel’s Francis Lam of Food(ography) contends that roasting comes down to heat and surface area.  “At high temperature, sugars will caramelize (and proteins will brown), which is really what you want out of roasting vegetables” he says. “The more surface area you have directly touching the roasting pan or the hot air of the oven, the more caramelization you're going to get, because it's the outside of a piece of food that gets the most intense heat.”
So Lam recommends cutting your vegetables in shapes that maximize their surface area.  Instead of cutting carrots directly across at a 45-degree angle, for example, roll the carrot a quarter turn and cut into oblong shapes.  Toss the cut veggies with a few healthy glugs of olive oil (so they shine) and then place them in a single layer (not piled on top of one another) in your pan.  Roast them for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Then flip the vegetables and continue roasting while checking on them every five minutes or so until they’re done to your liking.
Roasted veggies are obviously delicious unadorned, but Mr. Lam suggests several ways to spruce them up.  “A sprinkle of good vinegar is always nice, a brightness to contrast with the deep, dark caramelized flavors.  Or toss in some toasted nuts for richness, or maybe some raisins for a little sweet-tart action.  Fresh hearty herbs, like thyme and oregano, are killer … and shaved Parmigiano, of course, is a strong move.”  So next time you need a new side dish or just want to eat healthy and light, get your roasting pan out and crank up your oven.